Manchester City beat Bournemouth 2-1 with late goals as Brighton defeat Aston Villa 4-0
Late strikes from Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol gave Enzo Maresca a winning Premier League start at Manchester City, while Brighton moved to the top of the table with a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Maresca's league opener at the Etihad
Manchester City began their Premier League season under new manager Enzo Maresca with a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Maresca, who previously worked as an assistant to Pep Guardiola, made his home league debut following a 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield. Bournemouth also entered the match with a new head coach, as Marco Rose oversaw his first official fixture for the club. The visitors took the lead in the 26th minute after City failed to handle a long ball into their half. Rayan controlled the pass and fed Evanilson down the right wing, before the Brazilian forward crossed low to Marcus Tavernier for a finish at the far post.
Second-half substitutes create comeback
Bournemouth defended their advantage while Manchester City missed several scoring chances through Erling Haaland and Rico Lewis. Maresca altered his formation during the second half, bringing on Matheus Nunes in the 57th minute and introducing Jack Grealish for Phil Foden in the 82nd minute. Substitute playmaker Rayan Cherki altered the match by providing both assists in the closing stages. In the 84th minute, Cherki delivered a corner kick from the right, allowing defender Marc Guehi to head the ball past goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic via a deflection off Adrien Truffert. In the 91st minute, Cherki played a pass through the penalty box to Josko Gvardiol, who turned and placed a low right-footed strike into the net. The on-field referee initially disallowed the goal for offside, but a video assistant referee check overturned the ruling to award City all three points.
- Marcus Tavernier scores for Bournemouth from an Evanilson cross.
- Matheus Nunes enters the match as Manchester City make substitutions.
- Jack Grealish replaces Phil Foden in City's attack.
- Marc Guehi heads home an equalizer from Rayan Cherki's corner.
- Josko Gvardiol scores the winning goal, confirmed after a VAR review.
Brighton earn opening-round lead
In Sunday's simultaneous 14:00 fixture, Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Aston Villa 4-0 to take top spot in the Premier League table on goal difference. Brighton established their four-goal advantage entirely in the first half of the match. Aston Villa defender Victor Lindelof scored an own goal in the eighth minute, before Maxim De Cuyper added a second in the 18th minute. Midfielder Jack Hinshelwood then scored two goals in less than two minutes, finding the net in both the 30th and 31st minutes. Aston Villa suffered another setback in the 40th minute when midfielder Joao Gomes was sent off with a direct red card, leaving the visitors with ten players for the remainder of the contest.
- Brighton
- 4 goals
- Manchester City
- 2 goals
- Bournemouth
- 1 goals
- Aston Villa
- 0 goals
Starting selections and upcoming schedule
The match at the Etihad Stadium featured Portuguese defender António Silva making his Premier League debut in Bournemouth's starting line-up, facing national teammate Rúben Dias in City's defence. Haaland led City's forward line sporting a new close-cropped haircut, though he struggled to find space against Bournemouth's defensive block until the late turnaround. The result gives Manchester City their first three points of the Premier League season as they attempt to settle into the post-Guardiola era. Enzo Maresca's side will play their second league fixture on Friday against Crystal Palace.
